Winds of Change
by Trackhawk
Summary: Every since his dad died, Alex has dreamed of being free. Now living with his friend Adam, while he goes to school, Alex spends most of his time looking for ways of finding that sense of freedom, pushing himself further and harder each day, not caring about the consequences of his actions. Those consequences however prove to be far different from what he originally thought.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello**

**Firstly thank you for taking the time to read this little brain child of mine. I hope you will at least somewhat enjoy it.**

**This is a much slower paced piece of writing and so please don't get bummed out by the lack of instant action. The lead up and tone setting is very important for this story and I feel like if I'm going to write this then I best do it correctly and save myself having to re write parts later.**

**The entire universe I'm writing in is technically Maximum ride, however the similarities will be hard to see as what I'm doing is taking an entirely different route than what is usually done. **

**So please done be alarmed, but none of the Maximum ride characters will be main characters in my story, and all of them will be seen MUCH later in the story. I can't say much on it as it will ruin the story but just trust me, they will show up eventually.**

**Feel free to review as you see fit, lord knows that I have a lot to learn and improve on so any comments you have will help me improve as the story continues. Also feel free to Follow or Favorite, as it's always nice to have more motivation to continue writing.**

**Right now onto the story**

**Morning Lull- Alex**

_Tuesday 9:05 AM _

Sleep. Beautiful, Indiscriminating, peaceful (well usually anyways), to put it simply, one can only view sleep as the single most amazing creation in the history of mankind.

So to be ripped away from said creation, for ANY reason, was a crime so heinous, nothing short of the death penalty would suffice as punishment.

Such is the logic of one Alex Chen in the morning, or at the very least, was his reason for the now decimated alarm clock.

"God dam I need to start going to bed earlier" he groaned, as his body once again flopped back down onto his bed.

The warmth of the bed sheets and the softness of the mattress called to him, begging for him to never leave them, promising relaxation and peace of mind should he choose to stay.

"Such a temptress" he mused aloud, silently considering the proposal.

As divine as the offer sounded however, life had other plans for the college student, and sadly Alex also knew that none of them involved staying in bed for too much longer.

He gave a tired sigh and began the long process of convincing his tired body it was a good idea to move.

Getting up in the early reaches of the morning, was never an easy task to anyone. For Alex though, every morning seemed to equate to a world war. His body and mind locking, again and again, in a ferocious battle. Each one fighting with everything they had, trying to will the other to give into their demands.

His body screaming for more rest, while his mind yells for productivity, neither ever seeming to know when to back down.

Today his mind would win, simply because Alex knew he had a multitude of tasks to complete today. Tomorrow's victor however, was anyone's guess.

Staring up at the ceiling, steeling his resolve and preparing himself for the ordeal ahead, Alex slowly sat up. His spine cracked and popping every few feet, begging him to stop. He pushed through it all with a small grunt, determined to not let himself be pulled back down to the warm sheets.

Now sitting, his legs began to swivel to the edge of the bed, fabric impeding his movements every so often, the beds last ditch effort to keep him there. A few cracked joints later though, Alex planted his feet on the cool wooden floor and proudly stood up.

Sleep deprivation marked his face and joints creaked, and groaned, as he slowly shuffled his was into the apartment's kitchen, tiredly aiming for the large stainless steel fridge that stood at the very back end of the room.

"Please let the food fairies have shown up" muttered Alex sarcastically, as he reached the silver box.

A small pop and the fridge opened to reveal its brightly light, cool interior… and very sparse contents.

"Hmmm, seems Grocery shopping is in order" grumbled Alex, as he quickly grabbed a jar of what looked to be juice from one of the shelves.

Closing the door behind him, he walked over to the small table that filled most of the kitchen, to sit for his meal.

Cranking the lid off the jar, Alex took a second to look at the liquid contained in the jar. Finding nothing that looked rotten, he shrugged, took a deep breath, followed quickly by a long swig of the mystery liquid.

"Hmmmm, not half bad", he mumbled, whipping his face with the back of his arm.

Leaning back in the chair, taking swigs of the now make shift breakfast he had acquired, Alex found himself gazing around and silently admiring the space he now called home.

The small apartment was the definition of "nothing special". White wash walls, with your run of the mill 2 bedroom, one kitchen, one bathroom set up. The bathroom was placed in between the 2 bedrooms, with a small stretch of hall way connecting all 3 rooms.

The only other add-on's to the room, being a small space just outside of the kitchen for couches and a TV and a small sliding door just beside the couches. The door led out to the small deck that was just large enough to cram a couple of old green plastic chairs, and an old cooler out there.

"Yes nothing special indeed", mussed Alex, as he downed the last bits of the jars contents. "But still, it's better than nothing I suppose."

A small _CREAK_ suddenly broke through the silence that had filled the apartment. Loud and heavy footsteps echoed just behind it.

"And so it begins" mussed Alex, just as the noise maker reveled themselves.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME IT IS?!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Morning Scare- Adam**

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME IT IS?!" I bellowed, no caring if the neighbors heard me or not. Their "noise level" complaints be damned.

"Morning to you to" came the tired replay, a small cheeky grin emerging on the face of the accused.

It took every ounce of will power, in my body not to run over and punch that smile off that assholes face.

Clenching my fist as tight as I could, I closed my eyes, and took a couple steady, deep breaths. Each exhale I let the tension flow out of me, or attempted let it anyways.

"Don't. Even. Start." I retorted evenly after a few seconds, putting particular emphasis on each word, hoping that Alex got the message. Right at this moment, I was not in the mood for his games.

Taking the hint, Alex sighed and leaned back into his chair once more. "Alright, alright I'll stop", he replayed continuing to smile, if only to himself.

Shaking my head clear of the anger I had felt, I nodded a thank you in his direction, before continuing on with my morning.

Yawning I walked over to the shared fridge, the contents of which I noted with a "sigh", to be very minimal. With a little reluctance, I pulled out the last jug of milk and went about pouring myself a large bowl of cereal, before sitting across the table from Alex.

"By the way, we need to get some more supplies today" he stated, motioning towards the fridge.

My mouth currently full of cereal, I could only grunt and nod in acknowledgment, before returning my attention to my breakfast.

Silence ensued, only broken up by the sounds of me munching away on my cereal.

After a few minutes, Alex stifled a small yawn, before leaning forward in his chair again, "so what was this about the time?" he asked curiously.

I froze mid bite, the spoon in my hands half way to my open mouth. My eyes widening, as I remembered my earlier reason for being angry.

"ohh shit" I whispered.

Dread filling me as I slowly turned to look at the stove clock.

9:17 flashed in green.

Ice cold panic run through my veins, and I felt the color drain from my face.

Alex seemed to notice the change and followed my gaze to the clock. Upon seeing it, his eyes began to widen as understanding swept through him.

"ohhhhhhhhhhhhh FUCK" he whispered in response. My head only nodding in agreement.

"PLEEEEASE tell me that clock is wrong" he stated, as calmly as he could.

The shaking of my head, confirming his fears.

"So then…Class?" he quietly stuttered.

"Yup" I replayed, taking a deep breath. "We have 13 minute's"

The spoon I held in my hand slipped from my shocked grasp, landing on the table with a resounding CLANG.

Though to both of us it sounded more like a starter's gun. All but signaling the start of this mad morning's race.


	3. Chapter 3

**Mad Dash- Alex**

People have told me that a person's true colors are revealed when faced with hardship, that it will show you whether a person is going to either flourish and bloom, or wither and die.

Whoever it was that told me that however, I decided, was a complete idiot. An idiot who obviously had never been late for class before anyways.

Sure both Adam and I made it to our respective classes on time, and sure we set a new land speed record to do so. However if you asked either of us, we would say that right at that moment, we defiantly felt more withered and ready to die, than accomplished and flourishing.

"Well, at least I'm now awake" I thought to myself, as I hunched over my desk panting as quietly as possible, trying to slowly recover from our early morning adventure.

To say that it was tough to make the time crunch we had found ourselves in, would be an understatement. Adams and my breakfast dishes had remained unwashed and left at the kitchen table. Yesterday's outfit was thrown on shortly after, wrinkle free clothing being sacrificed for a little bit of extra travel time.

Both of us had skipped showers and teeth, instead making due with a couple can of respective body spray, and a bottle of deceivingly strong mouth wash.

"Not that it matters much now" I muttered cynically, as I took a whiff of my pit and mentally groaned.

The stink accumulated from sprinting several blocks with 30 pound back packs, was not something a quick spray of deodorant would cover up.

A silent sigh escaped my lips, before leaning my head down onto the desk in front of me, making a mental note to put showering, near the top of my ever growing to do list.

As my professor entered the class room, I took a few calming deep breaths. I tried to still my rapidly beating heart, tried to will my completely wired brain into focusing on him, tried to pay attention to him as he began his morning lecture.

All the preparation however proved to have been for naught as 15 minutes later, the lecture was done and a work period was assigned for the rest of the class.

This not only made my mad dash to class completely for naught, but also making me realize that in that said rush, I had completely forgot to grab most of the work I had done or could work on, for the project we were now supposed to be doing.

"Shit" I muttered to myself, "Well thank god at least I got here on time", sarcasm practically dripping from each word I uttered.

Quickly looking around the class, I unfortunately found everyone else diligently working on each of their respective projects. Despite this barely any sounds were being made, short of the rustling of papers and the tapping of computer keys.

Even the usual slackers of the class were hard at it, leaving me as the residential black sheep of the class.

With a small groan, did a quick double check to make sure I had indeed forgotten my work.

Still finding nothing and with little else to do, I quickly balled up the hoodie I was wearing, and quietly resigned myself to catching up on sleep for the rest of the class.

All 2 and half hours of it.

"What a waste of energy" I thought, as my eyes slowly shut out the rest of the world.

"Hopefully Adams class was at least worth the effort" were my final thoughts, as sleep over took me.

**Mad dash – Adam**

I was running as fast as I could manage.

My knees were groaning in protest, and my breathing was becoming more and more labored, still though I pushed on, forcing myself to sprinting up the last few steps of the stair case I was currently on.

Sharply rounding the corner in front of me, I found my target coming into sight.

The start of class bell started to ring just as I all but threw my self through the door of my first class.

"SUCCSESS!" I thought to myself with a smile, before I stop dead in my tracks.

Any feelings of triumph leaving me instantly, as I examined the room, I had just suffered through a personal hell, to reach on time.

Confusion filled me as look around the mostly empty class room, a horrible feeling starting to creep up on me again.

There were only 3 other people in the room, 2 guys and a girl, all of them whom I recognized from my class, though none of them I knew by name.

All of them had their eyes trained on me right at that moment with a look of amusement.

My stomach started to feel a little queasy as I examined their faces.

"Umm where is everybody?" I asked, my voice labored from all the running I had done to get there.

The three other students looked at each other with knowing smiles, seeming to silently contemplate telling me what they knew or not, before turning back to me. Amusement and pity again clear in their eyes.

The girl spoke up first. Her voice laced with arrogance "Class was canceled today. Remembeeer?"

I blinked a couple of times in shock, not really comprehending her words.

"Wait what?" I responded. Confusion and disbelief clear in my voice

"Yah, prof told us last week? Something about a board meeting or something?" she stated. Amusement at my predicament, twinkling in her eyes as she spoke.

I stared at her for a solid half minute. Hoping for her to smile and say she was joking, hoping against hope that my entire escapade this morning was all for not. Finally after about a minute of staring, the girl shook her head and spoke again. "Yah sorry but its true. But hey at least now you have time to do a couple of well…. personal favors."

I raised a tired eye brow in her direction, "what are you talking about?" I asked, much to disappointed with what had happened this morning, to deal with her games.

She chuckled at me before gesturing to my body, "Well I'm no expert on hygiene or anything, but I have a feeling a shower may be in order".

I looked down at myself, noting the large sweat stain on the neck of my shirt as well as the dirt and leave that stuck to my jeans. That coupled with my not showered hair and unshaven face, made me pretty sure I looked closer to a homeless person than a student.

"Ah" I muttered, understanding what she meant now.

I looked up from my examination, giving her a quick thank you nod for her help.

I receive a smug smirk and an eye roll from her in reply, before she turned her back to her two friends, effectively ending the conversation.

"Ok, shower it is" I decided, practically running out of the room and towards the athletics center.

Shaking my head, and silently hoping against hope that no one else would find out about my embarrassing mistake.

Lord knows I had had a bad enough morning without this little story getting out. I could only hope Alex's morning had gone better than mine.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again.**

**The fact that people are reading this story, let alone all 3 chapters so far amazes me. I was not expecting anyone to even pay attention to it, so thank you to the people who have taken the time to read it so far.**

**Editing wise, I tend to edit the chapter twice before I upload it, and then re-read and edit it more while writing the new chapters. Then when I upload the new chapter's I'll re upload the newer versions of the previous chapters. It's worked so far but please let me know if you spot something major that I should fix right away.**

**I'll be introducing more characters in the next few chapters, so please bear with me a little as I figure out the writing style that fits best for each individual. I promise that action and adventure will be coming soon.**

**Right, that's done so let's get to it.**

**Morning survival-Amber**

_Tuesday 10:50… ish_

Sleep. For people like me, it's tough to even get some in the first place, let alone enough of it to be considered "well rested".

To make matters worse however, sleep has seemed to have become the only bit of solace I find most days. The single moment, when I can simply relax and indulge myself a little.

Some people call it an escape from reality; I prefer to call it a small recovery period from the constant worries and concerns that populate my every waking moment. After all, having to worry about where everyone of your next meal will come from, tends to take a toll on your nerves after a while.

That all being said, it should not come as a surprise to anyone, that I am NOT a morning person.

Nope, not even close to one. Not once in all my life, can I recall a moment when I have been one to be torn willingly away from the dark temptress.

However life, being the cruel, sadistic person that he is, always seem to be quite intent on making sure, that my relationship with sleep is a part time afire.

Today he comes in the form of noise. Loud, unavoidable, unshakeable, noise.

The bustle of the busy streets bellow me acting as a natural alarm, and reminding me that, yes I do have tasks to complete this day, ones that can't really be put off any longer.

A tired sigh escapes my lips, my mind is now awake though I have yet to open my eyes. A kind of last ditch effort to go back to sleep. A silent plea for my mind to let me rest just a few moments longer.

As is per usual though, this plea goes unnoticed. Instead A small wiry hand, decided that now is the best time, albeit gently, shake my shoulder. "Amber?"

My name is spoken with such softness and care, almost as if it would break at any moment.

I can feel a small smile start to form on my lips, though I work hard to keep my expression neutral and unmoved. There is only one person I know who talks like that and it would be a bad idea to let this little terror realize I've been awake for a little while.

"Amber, it's later in the morning"

The owner of that beautiful voice once again shakes my shoulder, this time a little harder, to ensure that I am awake.

I hear a small exasperated "sigh" being let out, followed closely by a few soft padded steps, as the individual moves to leave. They seem to pausing part ways out, "Breakfast is gonna be ready soon", they inform me, before fully leaving the room I have been sleeping in.

I listen for a few more seconds, ensuring that the intruder has indeed left, before I let the smile I had been trying to contain fill my face.

"Works every time" I whisper to myself smugly, as I rolled over to get a few more winks of sleep.

"I disagree", came the whispered response, mere inches from me.

Now I'm not a person you can easily scare, not normally anyways. In the early reaches of the morning however, when my mind has not really awoken, I tend to… over react a little.

Needless to say, it was two heart attacks, a screech worthy of a murder victim later, and a pair of ruined panties later, I found myself officially awake and up from "bed".

Slight over reaction? Maybe a little bit, but then, in my life, it's always better to overestimate than to under.

Sitting up I glare over at the cause of my most recent panic. My thoughts roughly translating into something along the lines of, _"It's alright, she was just trying to help, breath in, breath out. You don't need to kill her. Breath in, breath out, calm, be calm." _

"Hannah? How many times, Do I have to tell you, to STOP DOING THAT?" My tone started calm, but by the end it was a tired and ragged growl. A growl aimed at the adorable, yet Evil little trouble maker beside me.

"You know you love me" she replayed, giving me a smug wink. "Plus you ARE awake now".

I huffed tiredly a little at the truth behind her words, "While I can't deny your results, my heart and nerves would be a lot less frayed, if you did that less." I retorted. "And don't think your off the hook, I will be getting you back you know"

She smiled a little, before giving me a playful wink. "Wouldn't expect anything less sis" she replayed smugly, knowing she currently had the upper hand, before slowly standing back up, and leisurely strolled out the door.

I let out a long yawn as she made to leave.

"Coffee is on the table" she called out over her shoulder just before exiting.

My mouth actually snapped shut at the mention of the delicious beverage. My eyes widening at the thought, my mouth began to water slightly at the thought of a warm morning brew.

Ignoring my body's morning protests, the soreness of my limbs, the cracking joints, I clamber to my feet and steady myself for the trials ahead. _"Just think about the reward for all of this"_ I keep telling myself over and over again.

A slow shuffle was all I could manage as I made my way out of our "bedroom", and into out makeshift kitchen. My mantra playing through my head again and again, my feet all but dragging against the floor with each step, my legs screaming protest with each step, I probably looked more like a zombie than a person.

The moment I see it though, I know it's all been worth it. My mind focuses in on one thing and one thing alone. The steaming, worn out, blue mug sitting in the center of the packing create we use as a table.

Pausing only for a moment, I continued to force my body to zombie shuffle over to it, driven now by nothing but pure will power and adrenalin from my earlier scare.

"Victory!" I proclaimed tiredly as my hand closed around the old mug, before all but collapsing onto a small cooler beside the "table". "Totally worth it" I mumble as I take a small sip of my precious beverage.


	5. Chapter 5

**I am an idiot I know, should have triple edited before uploading. Ahh well hopefully this next chapter makes up for my lack of noticing important edits. Things are going to start to get interesting, and hopefully if all goes well we can get to the interesting things soon. **

**Also I realize that the lack of major character description is messing with people a little. Don't worry though, plenty will be coming shortly. **

**I wanted to mostly focus on getting major plot points and other things started before I spent some time on details. Sorry but I am terrible at multi-tasking when writing.**

**If you do enjoy this story feel free to follow or favorite or comment/review. =D**

**Morning Tease- Hannah**

I watch my zombie of a sister nurse her mug, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth as she slowly begins to wake up. I can't help but chuckle at her inability to truly function as a human being before her morning coffee.

"Still not much of a morning's person are we?" I tease her

"shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I'm getting there" she mumbles back, in between sips of her drink.

"_Eight years of living together and I don't think I will ever get use to her morning routine" _I mutter to myself, as I slowly go about preparing our meager morning meal.

That thought however was not done with me. It reared its head again, forcing a pause in my current activity. _"Has it really been 8 years?" _I silently ask, my brow furrowing slightly as I contemplate. Looking back over to my big sister, I stop to watch her again, _"Seems like just yesterday we met"_ I muss.

Looking at her however proves to be much more distracting that I anticipated. Her image creating a small spark at first, one that quickly grew much larger, soon becoming a raging fire, before starting to spread. It swept through my head, flooding my brain with a plethora of memories from our life together so far.

All the happy and hopeful moments we had shared up until this point, the close calls and the rare moments of solitude we had. The day she had found me, the time she saved me from a rabid dog, our nights alone in the street, teaching me to read and write, me taking care of her when she got sick, her replaying the favor a year later when I got a fever, the memories rolled on and on. A small reminder of each individual moment we had together.

I smiled sadly as each memory played by, _"Eight good years" _I whispered.

Amber looked up from her beverage to catch me staring at her and smiling. She raised a curious eye brow in my direction, silently asking if something was wrong.

I shook my head clear before returning to the breakfast I was supposed to be preparing. "Ohhh nothing, just wondering when the last time we did laundry was." I reply quickly, not wanting to reminisce any longer, shaking my head quickly to get it off cloud nine, and back down to reality.

Her eyes quickly drifted to her clothing and then to mine, examining the dust and dirt stains that litter the articles. Her brow furrowed a little, as she saw the layers of built up grime that had accumulated. "hmmmmm I see what you mean", she mussed quietly.

Amber now sufficiently distracted, I quickly returned to the breakfast I was preparing. Eggs and beans. Tried true and tested, this breakfast would see us through till dinner, or next morning's breakfast, should worst come to worst.

Ducking back into the room Amber was sleeping in, I grab the large black back pack currently occupying one of the corners. Lugging it back out to the "kitchen" I delve into its contents, looking for our cooking utensils.

A few minutes of searching later and the pack yielded a small camping stove top, a can of propane, a worn piece of flint and a small frying pan.

I quickly set up the propane stove, lighting it with the flint and an old piece of metal I had found on the ground, before starting to heat our meal up.

The Sizzle of the food cooking filled the room, the smell quickly drawing out hungry growls from both of our stomachs. Amber quickly cleared the top of the packing create she was beside, before clambering over to the backpack and producing two plastic plates, a jug of water, and a couple of metal forks. Setting them all on the packing crate beside her, she once again flopped back onto the cooler, waiting patiently for the food to cook.

A couple minutes later I shut the stove off and brought the pan of now hot food over to our make shift table.

The moment I sat down next to Amber, we tore into the meal together. Neither of us caring much for manners, and only really taking time to properly split the meal. Hunger having long since over ridden the need for politeness.

Minutes later the pan was polished off and the hunger pains had receded. For the moment anyways.

"Ahhhh much better" I sighed contently, as I leaned back in my seat.

"Agreed" replied Amber, leaning back to join me, a satisfied smile marking her face.

"So what's on the agenda today?" I ask, curious as to her plans for us today.

"Ohhhh this and that, make some money, buy some more food, and probably clean this place up a little" she replied gesturing to the area we currently call home.

I grimaced at the thought of cleaning. While the space we occupied may only consist of two rooms, it was far from clean. Every corner was filled with dust and dirt, cracks filled the walls, and paint could be seen peeling all over the place. Even the small window on the far right wall was stained with dust and grime.

The only furniture that populated the rooms, were the cooler/bench we currently sat on, the packing create we use as a table, a small counter top area where we prepare our food, and our "bed", if you can really call the small pile of blankets we sleep on a bed. Even those though, seemed to be covered in a fine layer of dust. Granted the building had been abandoned for nearly 15 years at this point, so it's not as if we could expect much. If anything we should just be grateful that it was still hospitable.

The building itself was a large two story complex that use to be an office building. 15 years ago though the business that owned it went bankrupt and sold the building to the city. The city originally was going to demolish it and make it into a park or something. Fortunately for us though a recession hit and they didn't have the funds to do it.

Now of days it acts as an apartment building of sorts for homeless people. A small gang runs the building, collecting "rent" or a "protection fee" from the people who live here. While the gang itself is fairly large and known to be quite dangerous, so long as you pay each month, don't steal anything from the other people who stay here, and don't cause to much trouble, they leave you well enough alone.

Our room resided on the far right end of the building, on the second floor, it's not the cheapest room but since there is two of us, we needed a little more space. Plus I'm not one to complain about any dry place to sleep, and hey the view defiantly is a point in its favor.

Amber sighs a little beside me, before standing up and starting to clean the dishes we had used. Slowly preparing herself for the long day ahead. For as long as I can remember this was the way we had done things, I prepare the breakfast, Amber cleans up after me. Though part of this routine, I reasoned was Ambers zombie like morning behavior.

I watch Amber as she works, her eyes glazed over, her mind clearly working elsewhere, while her body just goes though the well-rehearsed motions. Plates are washed down with a damp cloth, while the pan is scrubbed using a small bar of soap and a little water. Soon enough all the items are cleaned and placed back into the bag from which they came.

Coming back over to the bench she sits down before flashing me a bright smile and giving me a quick hug. "Thank you for making breakfast munchkin" She says ruffling my hair a little.

I give her a look of distain at her actions, which she simply laughs off. "Love you to" she says with a wink. Before getting up again and going into our bed room.

She reemerges a moment later with her "work clothes" as she calls them. In literal terms all that means is, an old black hoodie is now slung over her shoulder, her raven hair is now tied back into a tight pony tail, and her runners have been laced tightly up and are ready to go.

"I'm going to go quickly run some errands" she explains to me quickly, "While I'm out, could you feed your kitty and take her outside for a little?"

I pale slightly at her question. Milly! I had completely forgotten about her again!

My annoyingly clever sister gives me a smug wink, followed by a quick hug and a kiss to the top of my head. I allow myself to melt a little into her embrace. Letting the warmth of her body calm my nerves. I know what she has to go do, and while it is a necessity for us to live, that doesn't mean I have to like it.

"I'll be back soon" she whispers quietly into my ear. Slowly releasing me from her embrace, pausing slightly to make sure she didn't forget anything, she leans in again.

"Wish me luck" she breaths quietly.

And then she's gone. Already out the door and on her way out of the building, before I even realize it or have time to respond. Leaving nothing behind except silence, a small amount of warmth, and a small cloud of dust that marks where she was seconds before.

I stand there for a few moments, enjoying the silence and the remnants of her hug, before steeling myself and heading out of the room as well. I quickly lock the door behind me, securing it a tight as it can go, before slowly starting to make my way down the hallway.

"Right" grimace to myself, "that little fur ball is not going to be happy with me".


	6. Chapter 6

**This story has almost 100 views…. I am speechless; I honestly did not expect anyone to take any interest in my little story. **

**To answer some questions I've been receiving, the entire universe I'm writing in is technically Maximum ride, however the similarities will be hard to see as what I'm doing is taking an entirely different route than what is usually done. (It will be explained in the future, right now it contains to many spoilers)**

**So please done be alarmed, but none of the Maximum ride characters will be main characters in my story, and all of them will be seen MUCH later in the story. I can't say much on it as it will ruin A LOT but just trust me, they will show up eventually.**

**Again Thank you to everyone for taking time to read this, I know its painfully slow and all, but I promise I will be making it up soon. Please don't kill me but, this chapter is going to be about Alex and his average school day, I promise there will be action very soon though so don't lose hope yet.**

**Also new characters are introduced as well this chapter. =D**

**Again if you do want to show you support Please review, Follow or favorite this, as I would love to see feedback, or really any indication of what you guys think of this so far.**

**Thanks again, and now back to the story**

**Afternoon Bore**

_8:40...something…PM….I think…._

I was in heaven. The wind whipping by me, the city lights sprawled out beneath me, the cool night air chilling my lungs with each breath. I had always dreamed of flying, but never did I think I would ever have my dreams come true. Yet here I was, free from the ground, from all my responsibilities, free to do and go where ever I pleased.

My wings rhythmically pumping, keeping me float in the night sky. I breathed in the feeling of the moment, Imprinting it onto my brain, a permanent mark to remember this moment by. I continued forwards. Making a beeline for the familiar sky scrapers I could see the distance. The tall structures looking more like a play ground now, rather than just tall boring office buildings. A place to explore and to practice, rather than a place to be dreaded and shied away from.

I was smiling again, truly happy for the first time in I don't know how many years. The ecstasy of freedom filling me, and washing away all the pent up emotion I had. All the anger, the worry, the loss, all of it was gone. Swallowed up by wind that surrounded me now. I relaxed, and allowed my mind to be immersed in the beauty of the moment.

BANG! A GIANT text book slammed onto the desk space beside my left ear, forcefully pulling me out of my blissful sleep.

My eyes snapped open, and I am awake in record time. "JESUS CHRIST" I yell, my arms flying up on reflex, just narrowly missing my Professor.

"Rise and shine" she all but snarls at me. Her face marked with an ugly scowl, one that was aimed solely at me.

"if I ever catch you sleeping again, that textbook may land on a limb next time". Her explanation of this is quick and deadly serious. Punctuated only by her crisp turn and quick walk away.

I mumbled a short apology to her retreating form, before packing up my things to leave. The class room is emptying of students, the bell, which usually acts as a make shift alarm clock, seems to have rung a short while ago, though clearly it was not enough to wake me this time.

"Of all the times" I mutter under my breath as I work my way out of the room and into the packed hallway. Students already lined either side, leaving barely enough space to walk, and forcing pauses every ten steps or so.

My hands twitching in annoyance at the snails pace that I was forced to walk. _"Could people move any slower?"_ I internally question, as I slowly made my way towards the ever boisterous lunch room.

My juice concoction of a breakfast having only lasted about an hour of the class, leaving my stomach rumblings in anticipation of getting some real sustenance.

"All right all right I get it" I muttered to my self as I felt yet another growl, quickening my pace as much as I could.

The lunch room was packed as usual, hundreds of people filled the tables, and a long line stretching from the fast food counters as people waited to order their grease filled goods. I ignored the line, aiming instead for the small "health food section" beside it. The one our school paid large amounts of money for, and also the one that almost no one ever uses.

The older lady standing at the counter turns to see me coming and immediately started to prepare my meal. A chipotle chicken club on flat bread. The spicy, five dollar, sandwich, being not only one of my favourite lunch time meals, but one that I got almost daily.

As such the check out ladies recognize me, though I'm sure it also helps that I'm also one of the only people who go there often enough to be called a regular.

I pick out a bottle of vitamin water and head towards the counter to pay for my meal. The smell emanating for the box she hands me, drowns out any and all rational thought, as my stomach again reminds me of what it needs.

I quickly thank her for everything and pay, before all but running to find a place to eat. Luck was with me as I spot Adam and his girl friend Meghan, sitting at a table near the far end of the lunch room. They are accompanied by another girl who I don't really recognize, so I figure they wouldn't mind me joining.

Adam spots me before I reach them and schoches over towards Meghan to make some more room.

I grab a chair from one of the tables I pass, pausing only to ask if anyone was using it, before sliding into the empty space beside Adam, and dropping my backpack just beside my feet.

As soon as I was comfortable seated, I tear into my sandwich. Hunger over riding manners, I continue to gorge myself, ignoring the various stares the occupants of the table give me, until the last remnants of my lunch have been consumed. All in all it took me maybe two minutes to finish.

I lean back in the chair, taking sips of my vitamin water to help wash my meal down, and examining the various looks that the other three occupants of the table are giving me.

Adam was the first to say anything, a big goofy grin stretching across his face, "So. Hungry were yah?"

I simply give him a satisfied smiled and a long couple of nods in response, silence again ensuing, as the other two members continue to just stare for a while longer.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Meghan broke the silence. "DO YOU EVEN CHEW?! WHERE DOES IT ALL GO?! IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?!" she cried out, a look of disbelief painted on her face, hands wildly gesturing to my chest.

Adam lets out a hearty laugh at her reaction before turning to his girl friend, "If you think this is bad, just wait till you see him with burgers." He casually explains, before turning his gaze once again on me. "Now then, I don't believe you two have met yet have you?", he says gesturing to the other girl who was sitting beside me.

I turn to look at her and stop dead in my tracks.

To say she was a stark contrast of Meghan would be an under statement. Her straight cut black hair, was a far cry from the wild locks of the platinum blonde beside her. She was at least a foot shorter than said blonde, and defiantly not even close to matching her in muscle mass, her almond brown eyes held a tired, intelligent look to them, where as Meghan's wide baby blues screamed energy and activity. Her soft, even toned skin being completely offset by the rough cut, bright white, and freckled girl beside her. Even her slightly baggy, dark coloured clothing was a complete change from her companions bright neon, form fitting attire.

I was speechless. Never before had I seen someone who was so completely opposite from another. They were from completely different worlds it seemed, a living, breathing example of perfect Ying and Yang.

A sharp jab to the shoulder tore me out of my thoughts. I look over to Adam, giving him a questioning look.

"Ummm Alex?" he whispers quietly.

"Yes?" I respond, confused as to his actions.

"You were staring" he explains quietly.

"Ah" I reply quickly, embarrassment flooding my face.

"Sooo, ummm, Yes, sorry" I stutter, shaking my head slightly to get my brain working again, before turning once again to the new girl.

"No I don't believe we have met." I state with slightly more confidence, extending my hand. "Name's Alex, I'm a friend of Adams and Meghan."

The girl timidly raises her hand to shake mine, smiling slightly at me, "Rachael, I'm an class mate of Meghan's." she replies, her voice containing a small oriental accent.

"She is also going to be my new assistant at the shelter" Meghan adds in with a big smile, Rachael raising a confused eye brow in her direction.

She shakes her head a little at that statement before replying. "I am applying for the position, I don't know if I will get it though" she replies quietly. Looking down at the table in an attempt to force the conversation away from herself.

Meghan of course ignored the action, while proceeded to draw as much attention to her as humanly possible.

"You have the top marks in the class, my dad just Happens to own the shelter, and you are the only one applying who has qualifications outside of just this class. You can consider that job good as your" she replayed loudly, watching as several people from various other tables turned to see what the commotion was about. Her wide trade mark grin plastered onto her face as she relished in the attention currently being given to her.

Rachael, mean while was busy giving her a look of distain at the statement, clearly not comfortable with all the attention she was receiving from Meghan's comments. Her body slowly slouching down, trying to escape from the many eyes that now started at her.

Adam was very quick to notice her discomfort though, and gave Meghan a quick jab to the side of her stomach, alighting a rather loud squeal from her. All eyes snapped back to the attentive blond as she turned and started to give him a look so murderous, even I started to shy away from her.

Adam however was prepared for this, as he quickly leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss right on the lips, the display punctuated by the quick wink he gave her as he pulled away, and the look of sheer surprise on the now flushed face blonde.

Roles were now reversed. It was now Meghan's turn to slowly sink down in her chair. With all control of the situation lost, her cheeks flush with embarrassment, and all manner of cat calls and adorable whistles being aimed in her direction, I watch as her body, seeking an escape from the situation at hand, slowly started to slip down towards the floor.

Fortunately for her though, she didn't have to wait long for the teasing to end. With the "crisis" now averted, the other tables quickly get bored and go back to their original conversations, leaving us once again to our own devices.

Rachael gives Adam a timid smile in thanks, to which he responds with a smile and a knowing nod. He then slowly reaches over to his still flustered, and frustrated girl friend, and pulls her into a large "please forgive me" hug. Though I suspect he wont be out of the dog house for a while yet after this little stunt.

Turning to him as he slowly pulls Meghan back up into sitting position, I ask, "So how did you,"

"Briiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!"

I let out a large sigh, the lunch bell cutting through any and all questions I had, while forcing myself and the group to begin to pack up and head out to our next class, least we all end up late like Adam and I did this morning.

Finishing clearing off the table and fully packing up all of our supplies, we quickly make out way into the congested hallway, before splitting up to go in our separate directions.

Adam gives Meghan a parting kiss, Rachael gives a small wave in departure from us, and I myself simply shout a loud "later" to the departing group, before letting the sea of people carry me away, and towards my next class.

The events of the lunch hour replaying slowly in my mind.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again. First and foremost I would like to say THANK YOU FOR OVER 100 VIEWS XD**

**The last chapter was not my favorite to write, I felt I didn't do it justice and I am sorry for that. That being said I had to include it, as it is very important to establish the relationship that Adam and Meghan have as well as introduce Rachael, and establish her character a little. **

**I again am sorry for how badly written it was. I'll have to go back at some point and try to re write it or edit it into oblivion, however I feel that if I put off getting to something exciting any longer people will defiantly lose interest in this work, as I myself am starting to get impatient.**

**Thank you to everyone for continuing to come back here and read, its really giving me the motivation to sit down and write out chapter after chapter.**

**Action is incoming so don't worry. Very quickly there will be a series of chapters chalk full of action and adventure, don't give up on me yet XD**

**As always feel free to Favorite and Follow, if you want to show your support.**

**Now onto the next installment**

**Afternoon Fun- Adam**

"URRRRRRRRRGH!"

My guttural roar of frustration rang clear and true, reverberating around all corners of the sound proof booth. Echoing off the walls again and again, until finally fading into nothing but a dull hum and disappearing.

The room which I currently resided in was one of the schools many recording studios. The small, completely isolated room was created to be devoid of almost all out side sound. Thus creating a perfect environment for high frequency response recording gear.

Two sound sealed doors are the only entrance, a couple of different size and shaped chairs and a guitar stand are the only furniture, and a large, triple paned window is the only change of scenery from the white wash walls.

I had come to hate the room more and more with each passing second; the silence that seemed to taught and reminds me of my current annoyance. The window reflecting back every expression and emotion that crosses my face, mocking my each and ever failed, serving no purpose other than frustrating me even further.

Yet in that bloody room I continued to sit. The old white Les Paul that sat idle in my hands practically begging me to try again and again until I finally got it right. Edging me onwards and silently reminding me to not give up just yet.

"You suck sometimes" I mutter quietly to her, annoyed at her persistence. Even as I said it though, I was already putting on the recording headphones and making the final preparations of another attempt.

Pausing to take a few calming breathes; I again began the melodic harmony. The same one I had been working on all afternoon. The one which I had been trying to record, for the last four hours now.

At first the soft notes flowed perfectly from the old instrument, the different sounds being sung together into an impossibly complex rhythm, melding together into a tight fitting glove that quickly enveloped me.

Slowly though the pace quickened, the harmony quickly taking over and starting to drown out the soft melody. The main notes became crisper, louder, more pronounced, quickly started to over power all else, gaining more and more speed, until finally the piece reaching a deafening climax.

Punctuated only by the loud "TWANG" of a string breaking

"MOTHER FUCKER" I roared, almost smashing my guitar in a fit of blind frustration.

"Tap, tap" the soft knocking on the window, stopping me mid rage.

"Adam, you ok in there?" My professor's quiet voice coming slowly though the recording headphones, which still miraculously remained perched on my head.

Taking a few long deep breaths, I closed my eyes and counted to ten as slow as possible. Only trusting myself to answer after I had calmed myself down a small amount.

"Yah, though I am gonna take a quick break if that's ok" I responded shortly after, knowing that I could be heard through the recording microphones.

"That's fine. Take as long as you need" he responded again through the headset.

Placing Suzy carefully on the guitar stand beside me, I slowly stand, listening to my bones creak and joints pop as I go, stretching my arms us as far as they will go, before letting all my limbs go limp.

Satisfied with my stretch, I slowly make my way out of the recording studio, my body all but on auto pilot, my brain still recovering from the four hour long studio sit.

A wake up call was in order, I reasoned, letting my body move itself, muscle memory taking over for the time being.

Shuffling mindlessly down the deserted hallways, I soon find my chosen destination, the men's washroom. Walking in, I quickly make my way to the row of sinks, turning one of the taps to full blast. I let the water for a few seconds, ensuring it's the temperature I want, before capturing a large amount of it in my cupped hands. I raise the water to my face, closing my eyes as I do.

"Splash!" The cold water hits me square in the nose, slashing all over the place as it falls, snapping my brain awake, and jarring my senses for a moment or two. Eyes still closed, I splash my face a few more times to ensure I'm awake again, before quickly turning off the water. I lean over the sink, staring hole into the old metal sink, slowly collection my thoughts as the water drips off my face.

The bathroom is empty as well thankfully. Not a sound could be heard except for the water slowly draining, the small drips of water running down from my face, and my slow methodical breathing.

Slowly the frustrations of the afternoon pour out of me, the tension slowly letting go of my muscles, my body beginning to relax back into its natural state.

I needed more though, the stress that filled my brain refused to leave, the doubt that had built up all afternoon was again taking hold and keeping my brain all but locked up.

Letting out a long, tired sigh in defeat, I move to gathering up my strength again, before slowly start to stand up and getting ready to leave.

However just as I turn to go, something catches my eye. Something that stops be dead in my tracks, and demands my attention.

The series of mirrors that line the row of sinks, the polished surfaces, were reflecting back at me not myself, but a creature. One that's looks similar, and is even dressed the same, and yet is clearly not me.

I move to examine the creature, noting how the gray eyes hold a look of defeat, how the long black wet hair is plastered against his face, how the water is dripping down from his dark scruff of a beard, leaving dark stains on his black tee shirt. Noting how he is slumped over, his shoulders hunched and back bent, as if he is carrying the weight of the world on naught but his own. The person in the reflection holds a look of hopeless, of defeated, the look of a lost puppy, desperate to find home again.

"Who are you?" I quietly ask the creature in the mirror, the reflection starting right back at me.

"No one I know" comes the soft replay from behind me.

A relived smile fills my face as I look over my shoulder at the intruder.

Arms slowly snake around my body, warmth enveloping my entire back. A cute little head leans down to rest on my shoulder breathing slowly and methodically. I don't resist at all, no I lean into the embrace, relishing in its comfort.

I let Meghan's strong arms slowly pulling my away from the mirrors, away from the creature who filled them, away from the fear of who it actually is, and away the frustration that still fills my body.

Whenever I doubt myself, whenever I'm in need, she's there to pull me away from it all. There to pull me into her embrace and to comfort me, there for me to lean on, to lend me strength, if only for a second.

My body instinctively relaxing as she holds me, her head never leaving my shoulder for even a second, her soft breathing tickling my neck.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, a minute? A hour? A day? Time becomes meaningless as I allowed myself to get lost in her arms. Finding comfort there that I knew I could only get from her.

"You can do it" she whispers gently to me, as her hands play slow circles on my back.

"Thank you" I whisper back, slowly opening my eyes, having not even remembering when I closed them.

Slowly she releases me from her arms, her face filled with a sympathetic smile as she backs away. Giving my hair a small ruffle, before twirling gracefully on one foot and quietly retreating from the washroom, her presence quickly diminishing until it's again only me.

I don't know how she knows when I need her. I don't know how she knows where I am. Quite frankly, I really don't know a lot about her, yet I don't care. Words can't even come close to describing, how grateful I am to have her in my life.

It's a relationship that is built almost entirely on trusting one another, be it with information or our lively hoods. I have trusted her for almost two years now and she has yet to give me a reason not to. So until she's ready to tell me what is going on, I won't ask, trusting her to know when its time to explain.

For now though I'm content. Content in knowing that she loves me, knowing I can trust her with everything, and knowing that she will always be there to help me.

Slowly I turn to leave the washroom, but once again find myself look in the mirrors, again examining the reflection found there.

I note the long, messy, and slightly ruffled black hair, the large toothy, smile, and the hope that shines in its steel blue eyes. Seeing the relaxed shoulders, the carefree stance, and the look of fiery determination.

"There you are Adam," I mutter to myself, before quickly turning away, and making my way back to the studio.

Finally ready to complete the session.


	8. Chapter 8

**Welcome back readers**

**Well its finally here, Chapter 8. The first chapter to feature some action and adventure. The one I have been waiting to write, and one you all have probably waiting for since the beginning.**

**BTW I am sorry for not getting this update up faster…. Minor issues surrounding the computer usage in my house**

**Also nothing terribly crazy will happen and don't worry; characters won't be randomly killed off. However a few major events will occur and a large amount of characterization will be done as well.**

**Again thank you for sticking with this story, I know it's painfully slow in pacing, but I swear all will make sense before long.**

**As always you can show your love by reviewing, adding it as a favorite or following this story**

**Now with out further time wasting, Onto the Story**

**Afternoon Fright- Amber**

_5:32…. There is a giant electronic clock right above me ok?_

Rush hour. For most people it is seen as nothing more than an annoyance. A giant time, and energy wasting part of the day, that many people go out of their way to avoid.

The time of the day, when everyone makes a mad scramble to leave their chosen place of work, and try to make it home as quick as possible. Key word however is "Try".

The small crowds that had previously littered the large downtown area, soon become nothing more than a giant masses of arms and legs. Continually growing in size, as more and more people leave to begin their trek home.

These masses of people continually move forwards, pushing a shoving their way through almost every obstacle they find. The slow, chaotic, march of the working class, as they slowly make their way onto the cramped train cars and busses that litter the streets and underground.

Yes rush hour is defiantly not a productive, let alone fun, time of the day for almost everyone involved in it.

Almost everyone.

For myself, and a few others like me however, rush hour is not to be feared, or avoided, but rather relished in and taken advantage of. The giant masses of people, while daunting to most, are the equivalence of a giant dinner bell to us. The cramped busses and trains, become primary hunting grounds, while the crowds of people act as natural camouflage, allowing us to work unseen.

Simply put, rush hour is the single best time of the day, for the predators of this city, to come out of hiding, and begin to feast on their unsuspecting prey.

Now of course, with the prime hunting times, comes much greater risks. The large number of people, while good for cover, also means that chances of someone catching you in the act increases dramatically. Movement also becomes more and more restricted as people cram onto the transit systems, sometimes even stopping you from moving all together. Worst of all though, the chances of running into another hunter or a pack of carnivores are much higher.

Now why would other hunters be a problem you might ask? Well you see while almost all of them are rational and capable of logical thinking, all predators, myself included, exhibit one trait that tends to cause us more trouble than is necessary.

We are all very Territorial.

I let out a silent groan in protest, as more and more people filed into the train compartment I resided in. It seems the train that I had chosen was a prime hunting area, as I had picked out at least ten other hunters on it with me.

"Greeeeeeeeeeat." I muttered sarcastically, "Simmmply fabulous."

My eyes slowly drifting from hunter to hunter, watching carefully as each of them took note of the others.

It was clear what was at the forefront of all our minds. Can the others be trusted, what happens if one of them screw's up, are all of them genuine or simply cops in disguise, etc.

Suspicion starting to run ramped in our thoughts, each member now silently scoping out their escape should things turn ugly. Worst case scenarios popping into all of our heads, as the suspense built higher and higher with each passing second.

Eager to put an end to the tension, I gave them each a steady glance, before pointing to the ground and waving it from corner to corner, marking my territory as the very end of the car. A quick nod was given in response, before each of the marked their own territory. Effectively drawing the battle lines, which were not to be cross until you leave the train.

I let out a small breath of relief as the last person marked their area, thankful that confrontation was avoided.

The to the train doors rattle loudly as they closed, cramming everyone together even more, locking everyone in until the next stop. The people on boarded unaware of the hunters among them.

I simply observe for the first part of the trip. Watching the other predators, as they go about their business. Observing with a sick sense of glee as slowly, the occupants of the train are stripped of their valuables. Watches, wallets, purses, all manner of electronic devices, seem to go missing in the blink of an eye, no one but the players of this twisted game, noticing that anything is amiss until its much to late.

Simply put, its absolutely Beautiful display of skill.

"Aright, Focus" I whisper to myself as I silently begin to watch my prey out of the corner of my eye. The budging coat pocket marking him as an easy meal for me.

Sights now set; I patiently wait for the perfect moment to strike.

Not a second later I feel the train lurch suddenly to the side, aggressively throwing passengers to a fro. My body instinctively goes with the trains movement, my small hand coming up quickly and aliening with the pocket I am eyeing.

My mark quickly gets tosses to the other side of the train, my hand sliding effortlessly into the pocket and removing the leather wallet from its confines.

Quickly using the last movements of the train to cover my tracks, I pull away from him, quickly lowing my prize into the dark folds of my hoody pocket, hiding it instantly from sight.

I keep my eyes low, waiting for any sort of signal that he noticed my theft. A yell, a quick pat of his jacket, anything at all.

"DING", "Summerset Station"

The automated announcer signals the approach of the trams next stop.

Still I wait, not allowing myself to even breath until I'm off the train and down the hallway of the station. My breathing ragged, my lungs burning I press on.

Methodically I make my way out of the under ground, making a beeline for the first ally way I see. Only relaxing once the cold shadows swallow me up.

An excited smile finally takes over my face, the thrill of success filling my brain, adrenalin pulsing through my veins; filling me with confidence I never knew I had. My entire body shaking, as the powerful hormone makes it rounds through my body.

"_YES!"_ I mentally congratulate myself on a job well done, before forcing myself to sit down, knowing my legs would soon give out from the excitement.

My hands shake profusely as I pull the wallet from my pocket, my eyes bulging at the sheer weight of it.

"Holy shit" I mutter to myself, only now realizing just what a score I had made.

Brown and red bills fill every crack of it, all the cash totaling almost a thousand dollars. On top of that the guy also had a couple of American express cards and a few other credit cards. A checkbook, a few debit cards and a couple of business cards also spilled out from the expensive leather.

"Holy fuck…" I mussed, my mind completely blown away at my luck. Who ever this wallet uses to belong to, he was loaded beyond anything I had ever seen.

Looking around quickly, making sure no one had yet noticed me, I hastily stash the bills in my bra, ignoring the discomfort of them, and the fact one side of my chest is now larger than the other.

I crammed the credit cards and checkbook into my pockets, before gathering up everything else and tossing it into a nearby dumpster.

"Alright, Now to get the HELL out of here" I muttered, quickly jogging towards the entrance of the ally, eager to get home and show Hannah my "found" treasure.

A large shadow appeared in the mouth of the alley.

My shoes skid on the gravel covered ground as I put on the breaks, just barely stopping myself from running straight into the hulk of a man in front of me.

He was at least a foot taller than me, and easily weighed triple what I did. Sunglasses adorned his pudgy face, while jeans and a gigantic tee shirt struggled to try and covered the rest of him.

I watched cautiously as he slowly crossed his arms in front of his chest, His tee shirt doing little to hide any part of his massive tattooed arms.

"Ohhh you have got to be fucking kidding me," I mutter, eyeing one tattoo in particular. A black raven caught in a silver cage.

The raven had its wings spread, the giant black wings barely fitting inside the confines of its cage. A scream could almost be heard coming from the poor beast, as it seemed to search for an escape.

The style, the design, the colors, all of them screamed for me to run.

"Well hello again Amber"


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello again**

**So I felt that the last chapter I wrote was decent, but in hindsight there was not to much action. BUT REJOICE for another few actions segments will be coming up, as well as the into of a minor yet important character.**

**Again thank you to the few consistent readers, I know you are not followers yet but I really am happy at least a few people take the time to read this little head child of mine.**

**Also thank you for the almost 200 readers who have read this story at some point or another, its really amazing to see the number go up every week so I thank you all immensely. **

**Lastly as per usual, please don't hesitate to Follow Favorite or review this story, as it helps keep me motivated to continue writing.**

**Right enough whoring myself out, lets get onto the story**

**Afternoon Run- Amber**

_Who really cares about the time?_

"Well hello again Amber."

"_No, no, no, PLEASE no, not him, ANYONE but him",_ I wordlessly prayed to every god and goddess I could think of.

"So… _Nice_, of you to drop by."

The words sent small shivers down my spine, my body involuntarily trembling as they continued their path. Unable to do anything, as they sucked all he warmth out of me, leaving nothing behind except cold dread.

My ears twitched slightly as I hear the man behind me start to move towards me. His pace is slow and torturous; the crunching of gravel slowly growing louder and louder with each step he takes.

Fear slowly started to seep into my brain, locking my muscles in place, preventing me from doing anything except take small shaky breaths.

The footsteps stop directly behind me, and I feel a hand lock onto my shoulder not a second later. I shudder at his touch, much to his apparent amusement.

"Now now, no need to be like that." He chuckles darkly

My ears burn at each raspy syllable, each word he speaks feeling like it was dipped in grease. Worst of all though is his stench. The foul pungent odder that follows him around, it makes me feel dirty just to be near him, like I would have to take a hundred showers just to get rid of his stink alone.

"Come now, where are your manners?" he teases, the malice in his voice all to easy to pick out.

My body automatically turns towards him, knowing full well what will happen if I provoke him any more.

However as soon as I laid eyes on him, I stopped in pure shock.

He had changed drastically in the six years since I had last seen him. Large dark bags now sat under his eyes, food and dirt stains littered his worn clothing, crooked, yellow teeth filled his mouth, his dark brown hair was untamed and greasy, and small scars littered his arms and face.

He as wiry as could be; ribs could almost be seen poking through his shirt. Barely any muscle was left on his body to, almost making me wonder how he was still able to stand.

No longer was he the tall intimidating man I had come to fear. No longer the face that had haunted me for six years. Now he was no more than a husk of who he use to be.

I didn't feel sacred anymore; the initial fear I felt at his arrival had all but vanished, replaced by something I never expected to feel for him, pity.

I stared at him, sadness marking my face, before whispering as quietly as I could, "James. What happened to you?"

A large fist connected with the side of my head not a second later, throwing me off balance and onto the hard concrete bellow. Gravel dug painfully into my arms, and my head continued to spin as I lay there. Slowly recovering from the unexpected blow.

I looked up to find the large man, who had stopped me from leaving in the first place above me; arm retracting from what was obviously the punch I had received.

"Nothing happened." James responded quietly, "Now, get your stupid little ass up, and hand over the money you stole". His tone was one of anger and spite. Clearly I had hit a nerve, with my comment.

I almost rolled my eyes at his demand, remembering how focused he had always been on money.

"Seems something's never change," I muttered under my breath.

I slowly stood, taking care not to further agitate my already shaky legs, before reaching into my hoody pocket to retrieve the money I had taken earlier.

Both James, and what must be his bodyguard, stand right in front of me, eyeing my cautiously, making sure I was not trying to pull anything sneaky.

"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRM"

To say that the car horn was loud would be an understatement. I'm pretty sure an air horn point blank wouldn't be as loud, or as deafening.

Both men were taken completely by surprise. Their heads instinctively turning away from me to examine what was going on and where that loud noise had come from.

I however, was not going to let this chance pass me by. Shoving off the initial shock, I made a mad sprint right for James. My hands make contact with his thin frame not a second later.

Shoving him forward with all my strength, forcing his small frame to go tumbling backwards. His head connected hard with the concrete sidewalk as he rolled back, making a sickening "crack" as it bounced off the ground.

I didn't stop to check on him, didn't offer any help, and didn't even slow my speed. No, my mind was simply to focused on the one thing that mattered to me at that moment, to even consider that.

Only though running through my mind? Escape.

I race past him, quickly beginning to pick my way towards the train station from which I had come, weaving around people as I best as I could, pushing past everyone who I couldn't avoid.

Sneaking a quick glance behind me, I took note of James's bodyguard chasing after me. His lumbering mass moves with surprising speed, and I quickly revamp my own pace to make sure he does not catch up to me, my head slowly turns back to focus on my own route.

Fortunately turning back just in time to see a car directly in my way.

My body reacts before I can even think, jumping forward in a forward dive, my hands land on the hood of the car. Using the cars hood a spring board, my hands push my body forward, vaulting over the last bit of the car, before landing on the other side, and sprinting off, ignoring the owner of said car cursing at me.

My lungs begin to burn as I continue to run, begging me to slow for a small rest. I forced myself on, not daring to stop for even a second.

Sneaking another quick glace behind me, I see the bodyguard slowly losing ground, slowing up more and more as he keeps getting caught up by more and more people. Sensing an opening, I pushed forward once more, redoubling my pace to ensure my successful escape.

Down the steps of the station I fled. In the hallways I weave through the throws of people as fast as I can, zig zagging as much as possible so as to not lower my speed, before finally making my way to the crowded station platforms.

Its only once I'm buried with in the masses of people that I stop running.

My breathing comes in ragged gasps, and my legs feel ready to buckle, as I finally come to a stand still. My body automatically doubles over, as I heave in breath after breath, trying to slowly recover. Desperate to regain my breath should I need to run again.

My brain almost blacking out from the exhaustion and the blow I took earlier, curtsey of Mr. Muscles. Slowly panic starts to fill me, as my thoughts turned to the large man still chasing after me. My only comfort coming from the large crowd of people, who are unknowingly hiding me away from the monster of a man.

I don't know how long I stayed like that, thirty seconds, five minutes, two hours, all I remember is, that the next second I'm aware of, I found myself on a train and headed back towards my home. Back towards Hannah.

Finally, I let go of the breath I didn't even realize I was holding. Relief spreading through me, filling me with a trace amounts of solace and comfort.

My mind could barely process what had just occurred. I had done it, my escape was a success.

A small smile fills my face as I take stock of my surroundings, seeing no signs of James or his lumbering bodyguard, only masses of random people, none of whom I recognized.

That same smile only further widens, as I feel the familiar rubbing of the cash I had stolen, still hidden away in my bra.

My legs finally start to give out, and I slowly find my self leaned up against the train walls, feeling nothing but the cold metal on my back. Leaning my head back, I allowed myself to close my eyes and drawing in a few deep breaths.

"Success" I whisper to myself, my smile only continuing to widen with every second that passed.


	10. Chapter 10

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**Another chapter of boring is coming your way. After all I do need to break up this story, but hey its better than nothing… I think… maybe… who knows XD**

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**Evening Escape- Adam**

_Ahhh, Dinner time_

I've often catch myself thinking about silence.

How it can be so much more than just lack of noise, how sometimes its nice and calming, other times its awkward and tense, most of the time relaxed and indifferent of its surroundings, and still other times how it can convey more to a person than entirely spoken conversations.

I smiled inwardly, at that thought, my mind quickly returning to replay the scene in the bathroom over and over again.

Replaying how Meghan had barely spoken a word to me during out entire encounter, how her embrace, her smiles, had said more to me in those few moments than she could have explained in an entire lifetime.

A small smile escapes onto my face, as my thoughts trail off to Meghan. She defiantly knew the value of silence, and while there were defiantly other… qualities… to her that intrigued and amazed me, it was one thing that never hurt to be remembered.

After all, I only knew of one other person who I could converse with in that manner, who I could talk to with out ever having to open my mouth.

The loud "Thump" of the apartment door as it closes catches my attention, pulling me back down to reality, and away from the thoughts that had occupied my mind.

"_Alex must just be getting home"_, I mussed. Listening to the sounds of his footsteps, as they echo throughout the apartment.

Taking a deep breath, before swiveling my chair around to face my computer, I once more stared down at the projects that littered the desktop. Most of which had been in the works, almost non-stop since my early arrival home.

Why was I home early? Well my reasoning was that the editing and premastering all the tracks would take a while anyways, so I figured why not do it in the comfort of my own home?

That was the excuse I gave my professor anyways, before I had all but sprinted out of class, pausing only to grab my bag and a USB with the newly recorded tracks.

In reality though, the real reason for my departure was my exhaustion.

I was completely tried out and close to my breaking point. My mind was complete worn out and my energy reserve had all but burned up. My body and mind were running on fumes, and I knew it to.

Any longer around people, and I knew things would have started to get ugly. It would be slow at first; I would simply start to act out a little more than usual. Eventually though it would start to grow, acting out would turn into frustration, which would lead to loss of focus, and then eventually anger.

So I left. I left knowing that it was far easier to simply leave, and go home to recharge, than try to stay and hope no one bothered me.

Thus here I found myself, sitting alone in my room, the lights turned off, the blinds to my window closed, using nothing but the glow of the computer screen to illuminate the darkness that filled my room.

A smile crept onto my face as I breathed in the beautiful sense of solace and security my room held.

While to most people it would appear as nothing special, to an introvert like me, it was heaven on earth.

It was a place to call my own, where I could let all my facades drop, and let my walls crumble down, where I could go to escape from the daily grind, a place where I knew no one would disturbed me.

"_Creeeeeeeeeeeak_", the distinct sound of uncoiled hinges drew me once again back down to earth, as my bedroom door was slowly opened.

Well, almost no one anyways.

I looked over to the doorway to see none other than Alex. He had changed out of this usual school attire, into sweat pants and a tee shirt, the only thing staying the same being the runners that still adorned his feet.

I was more interested however in what he held in his left hand.

The worn down, black, sticker covered case of Suzy. My beloved guitar.

Walking quickly over to my bed, he slowly relinquished his hold on the case, dropping it lightly onto the soft fabric covers.

My guitar, my Suzy, she was here with me now. Waiting patiently to be picked up and held, eager for me to play her to my hearts content

I simply stared at the case; a mixture of disbelief and happiness adorned my face as slowly I looked towards Alex.

His only response was a crooked smile and a small wave as he slowly walked out the door, pausing only to ensure it was closed properly behind him.

The moment I heard the door click shut, I was up from my chair and practically running to the worn case of my favorite six stringed girl.

Unlike Meghan, I don't need to question how Alex knew I had forgotten poor Suzy, nor how he knew that I was not in the mood to talk.

It's what happens after you hang out with someone for so long. The kind of understanding of each other, that only comes from being friends longer than you can remember.

You end up knowing each other better than you know yourself.

"Alex, Alex, Alex." I mussed, quietly as I neared the bed, "I owe you one for sure".

Popping open the case I stared down at the worn down Les Paul sitting in front of me. She had definitely seen better days; the once glossy white paint was chipped and rubbed off in many places, the fret board was littered with scratches from years of playing, even her metal tuning knobs that used to be slick and shiny, where now rough and dented.

"Hey there beautiful" I whispered to her quietly, as I examined every mark and scratch that marred her surface.

Picking her up with delicate care, I carried my beauty back over to my computer chair, sitting down before leaning back into the padded leather once again.

My fingers slowly beginning to pluck at her strings as I relax back into the chair. Comfortable to simply sit and listening to the soft notes as they slowly filled the once silent room.

A smile once again wormed it way onto my face as I played, cords colliding with one another, the music slowly consuming every space, every corner in the small room. Filling the room with more life and happiness than it had seen in days.

My mind slowly succumbing to the lulling melodies I myself plucked.

My fingers continuing to play, long after my mind has drifted off.


End file.
